Ghosts of the Past
by Fantasy's-Priestess
Summary: Inside the mind of one Dana Scully when Mulder's ghost appears in front of her in 'This Is Not Happening' -WARNING: Spoliers for 'This Is Not Happening'- Oneshot!


**Today I was watching 'This Is Not Happening'. And you know the part when Mulder's ghost appears to Scully in the hotel room? Well, I realized there was some potential there. So, I've decided to write a little more on that part, bring a little depth. **

**It all begins when they were interrogating Absalom…**

"I asked you to give me the truth," Scully whispered with a shaking voice, "Do you have a video tape of this man?" Scully trembling hands got the picture out of her pocket as quickly as she could, wishing for both for him to have seen Mulder or for him to have not.

Because when it came down to it, Agent Doggett was right; she was afraid. As much as she wanted Mulder back, she was afraid that when he did finally come back to her, he'd come back like Richie Szalay's friend; dead.

She knew that she'd better pray he came back alive and well, because God knows how she'd deal with the loss of her best friend (and love).

Scully unwrapped the photo and, not giving herself a chance to look into those deep hazel eyes, gave it to Absalom. He took it from her carefully, as if he expected that a) it was a bomb of some sort or b) if he went any faster she'd snap at him. In any other situation, she'd roll her eyes at the man. But this wasn't any other situation.

This was it.

This was when she'd find out if Mulder was alive and at the compound, or if he was still somewhere in space, a place she cannot follow him. She was either going to be met with great disappointment or overwhelming cheer.

It was all going to come down to this moment.

Everyone waited with held breaths. The tension was so thick that the inhabitant in the room could probably graze it with their fingers. They all waited almost desperately for the 'Yes' or the 'No' from the religious lunatic…

It all came to an end when Absalom shook his greasy head.

Scully let out a gasp and a watery sigh as she blinked rapidly to keep the sudden tears at bay. The disappointment she felt almost choked her. She wanted to laugh (not happily, more like insanely), cry and yell at the same time, but she knew she couldn't settle with none of them. Instead, she turned around unhappily and walked away, leaving the looks full of pity behind.

Scully entered her dark hotel room with a heavy heart. She was truly, emotionally exhausted. She honestly wanted to just go to bed and sleep for ages, the investigation be damned.

Scully sighed as her hand instinctively went for the switch of the hotel room. _I'd never do it; leave I mean. I owe Mulder way too much to that to him. I also love him too much to give up. _

Scully's hand flicked the switch and was surprised when no lights turned on. Frowning, she flicked again and again until she silently moaned in irritation. The lights weren't working! That meant no shower, no T.V, and only moonlight to change by. _Just my luck…_ she thought as she looked around the hotel room. Maybe there was a lamp she could…try…

Scully froze.

There, standing in the middle of her hotel room, was Mulder.

She gasped quietly as her eyes widened. It couldn't be—it _had _to be—but no—but please let it be…

Mulder looked just like he did when he disappeared. Still wearing his leather jacket and jeans. His face held a sad smile as he looked at Scully slowly. Scully decided to do the same thing, to make sure he was hurt or anything (somehow during her eye-search she failed to notice she could see right through him).

Bewildered, she unfroze when she realized he looked in perfect health. She went to move forward, still not making a sound, when—

"Agent Scully?" Agent Reyes' concerned voice asked as she entered the room. Apparently she had knocked and received no answer; probably because Scully was still in shock and only had eyes and ears for Mulder.

Scully twisted her head over her shoulder and saw Agent Reyes standing there, looking confused and worried. _Wait…confused? She shouldn't look confused. She should be _relieved! _We have finally found…_Scully thought with a frown as she twisted her head again to look at Mulder. Only…he was no longer there.

"What?" Agent Reyes questioned again.

_No…no no no! _Scully thought desperately as she rushed over to the window where Mulder was standing only a few seconds before. Sad and frantic, Scully practically yanked the curtains of the window open and hopefully looked outside. But her search proved futile because nothing was there. And obviously there was no one in the room with her other then Agent Reyes. So that meant…

"What is it?" Reyes asked, overly curious now. Scully jumped ever so slightly, because in her desperate search she didn't hear nor notice that Reyes came up behind her.

Scully began to blink rapidly for the second time tonight, not wanting to cry in front of one of her partners for the investigation. As she did so, her gaze just happened to align with the starry sky above her. The salty water in her eyes doubled dramatically as she suddenly remembered the conversation she had with Skinner.

_If you're trying to prepare yourself I want you to stop. Nothing says that we're going to stumble over him in some field. Nothing says he won't be fine. _Skinner had said…now Scully wasn`t so sure. Every hour she spent thinking about Theresa Hoese and Gary, every minute spent without him and every second wondering when he was going to come home was taking a toll on how her imagination ran. Many a time during this investigation she pictured her handsome Mulder hurt and bleeding and _dead_—hell, she even _dreamt _about it!

She didn't know how long she'd be able to hold onto the hope of Mulder being alive and well.

An impatient tap of her foot reminded Scully that Agent Reyes was still there, and was probably still wondering what the hell was going on. Scully's mouth opened and closed a couple of time in a few seconds, wondering what to tell her, before whispering brokenly, "I saw him."

That statement made the tears that were at bay drop silently onto her cheeks. She felt so happy, so close to having him in her arms again. But now she realized that that wasn't true; she wasn't even close.

She also realized in that moment how stupid, how un-Scully-like she sounded. She was the logical one, the sceptic, the you're-crazy-if-you-believe-in-that-stuff person. But now, she _was _that person who says she's seen ghosts or spirits or mirages in the freezing cold. And with Scully being the logical one, she wouldn't let herself become Mulder (as much as she loved him, she still wasn't a true believer like him).

"I saw something." Scully sighed sadly before blinking away the final tears and turning to look at Reyes. She probably thought Scully was crazy, that she was truly 'Mrs. Spooky Mulder'. Embarrassment at being caught in a moment of weakness flushed her cheeks as she twisted to look at Reyes.

Surprisingly though, Reyes did not look at Scully with caution or disbelief; instead she looked at Scully in pity, scepticism and wonder.

Scully's eyes then widened. She had a sudden epiphany. It was now she realized it was already too late. Right now, she _was _Mulder, until he returned back into their lives.

She deeply hoped that while she was in his role, she wouldn't let him down.

**FINITE**

**I know, not my best ending, but it was all I could come up with *shrugs* Take it or leave it**

**P.S. Review please! :D**


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